Southern Sweet
by 7Seconds
Summary: When her best friend, Alice, gets engaged, Bella is thrilled to be the maid of honor. One thing she doesn't expect, though, is how charming Jasper's brother, business mogul Edward is... And how sexy the whole Southern accent thing can be. Best man/Maid of honor duties to ensue. BxE
1. The Proposal

**So I haven't published anything in a few years... New account, new stories. This story is currently unbeta'd, so bear with me. I don't promise to be the best writer out there, but I plan to have fun with the characters and story line. Feedback and critiques are always appreciated!**

**Summary: When her best friend, Alice, gets engaged, Bella is thrilled to be the maid of honor. One thing she doesn't expect, though, is how charming Jasper's brother, business mogul Edward is... And how sexy the whole Southern accent thing can be. Best man/Maid of honor duties to ensue.**

**Chapter One: The Engagement**

At the ripe age of 23, I am happy to report that I have only seriously planned out putting a hit on someone around five times.

It isn't an easy feat to count those times on one hand when one of the few people you consider a close friend is named Alice Brandon, has a tendency to get excited about anything and everything, and is the proud owner of a pair of pipes to match the lead singer of a heavy metal band.

A pair of pipes that apparently had decided waking me up at 7 am on a Saturday morning by shrieking in my ear was a fantastic idea, causing my overactive imagination to go all Ted Bundy on her.

Alice jumped on the bed with me, ignoring my muffled grunts.

"Bella! Bella Bella Bella, you'll never guess what happened last night. You have to guess!"

I pulled one of my pillows over my head, trying to ignore her for as long as humanly possible (not very, Alice could be extraordinarily annoying and was very persistent). I was beginning to regret giving her the spare key to my apartment, which she had deemed necessary for 'emergencies' soon after I had signed the lease. Said emergencies included showing up when she knew that I was at work and rearranging the contents of my living room, as well as trying to throw out any pairs of sweatpants I owned.

"Bella," she sighed in exasperation, shoving my shoulder none too gently. "This is important. And I know you have to be out in a couple hours to go to yoga with Rose anyways. I won't be there today." I groped around the bed with one hand, launching a spare pillow at the source of the sound and grinning to myself when I heard a resulting grunt.

My triumph didn't last very long, when she got serious and wrestled the pillow from over my face, throwing it on the floor in frustration before grabbing my face with two hands and forcing me to look at her.

"You're ruining my announcement!" she said irritably, jabbing me in the ribs with one hand. I scowled at her.

"For such a petite little shit, you sure can be violent." She shrugged, before her face melted into the look that Rose and I had dubbed the "Jasper face". I groaned, getting ready to voice more complaints at the early morning wake up call, but she slapped a hand over my mouth and started talking first.

"It happened last night," she squealed, and I squinted at her in confusion, shoving her hand away from my mouth.

"What are you talking about, Alice? _It _happened years ago, don't pretend like you were a virgin until last night… I heard all the sappy details about the candlelit dinner and night trying not to smack your head on the top bunk of the bed in Jasper's dorm freshman year."

She rolled her eyes. "No, dumbass, not that." Her voice raised several octaves when she spoke again. "He proposed. Bella, Jas and I are getting married!"

I sat up suddenly, shoving her off of me and down to the end of the bed, wide awake.

"_Shut up_. Alice!" She beamed at me, sticking her left hand in front of my face and wiggling her fingers to show off a flashy silver ring.

"I know!" she shouted, probably waking up all of my neighbors in the process. I grabbed at her hand, bringing it closer to my face so that I could properly inspect the rock. Jasper clearly knew his girlfriend- _fiancé- _well. The single diamond was huge, winking at me as I turned it in my hand.

"Al, I'm so happy for you," I sighed, letting go of her hand and tackling her in a hug, all of the animosity from minutes ago forgotten. She let us roll around for a few moments before shoving me off and sitting up, patting anxiously at her well coifed hair.

"It was so romantic, Bells," she said dreamily, sneaking a glance down at the glittering bauble on her finger, "I know you're not much for the whole sappy thing, but _Bella_." I laughed, waving my hand for her to spill all the details.

She eagerly clasped my hands in hers, and we both adjusted ourselves to sit cross-legged on the bed, knees brushing against each other, exactly how we had done in college.

"I had mentioned like, a month ago that I had never gone skating at Central Park, and apparently Jas loves to ice skate… He said that his parents used to take him and his brother all the time growing up. So he called Thursday night and told me to dress warm and that he'd pick me up around seven on Friday, and you _know_ I love surprises, but I had no idea that he was going to _propose_!"

I laughed at her squeaky voice, squeezing her hands.

"So anyways, we got there and I was all happy because obviously ice skating is meant for girls to look cute and fragile and _god_, Bells, it's such a good couple activity, and thankfully I never fell on my butt even though Jasper did once because he was trying really hard to show off and damn is he a good skater plus he looks super cute in a scarf and stuff…" she trailed off, taking a moment to catch her breath before continuing her rant.

"And then the music changed- and Bells, he had asked them to play _our_ song- and he got down on one knee and he had the ring- Bella, it's from Tiffany!- and let me tell you, getting down on one knee while ice skating does _not_ look easy… And I was crying at this point and then he said, 'Mary Alice Brandon, would you do me the honor of marrying me?' Bells, he actually said 'do me the honor' like how perfect is that? And everyone skating saw it and it was honestly so perfect. I could barely even speak to answer him because I was crying so hard- not one of my finer moments but thankfully it wasn't really an _ugly_ cry."

I rolled my eyes in amusement, knowing how much she would like the fact that they had an audience for it. Alice beamed at me, fresh tears threatening to spill from her eyes, and I released her hands to pull her into another long hug.

"And then afterwards we went to that cute little cupcake shop around the corner- I brought one of those salted caramel ones for you, it's on the counter- so we talked about it a little, and we haven't set an exact date yet because obviously we still have a lot of thinking to do, but I think we definitely want to get married around Christmas time next year- which doesn't even give me much time, that's only thirteen months away!"

I nodded, trying to keep up with the amount of information gushing from her mouth, thankful for the momentary reprieve when she looked at me with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"There is one detail I'm already set on though… And I talked to Jasper about it and he agreed so listen, Bells…" I quirked an eyebrow at her as she smiled tearily.

"Do you think you'd be my maid of honor?" I gaped at her for a moment, and she rushed on, "I know you're really not in love with the whole walking down an aisle thing but I promise the heels won't be too high so you won't trip and I really just want you there with me because I met you and Jasper around the same time anyways and you really are my best friend-" I cut her off, flashing a blinding smile.

"Al, of course I will!" This time it was her turn to tackle me, squeezing my waist so hard that I thought I might pop. When she let go, we lay side by side on our backs, fingers interlaced. "I'm so happy for you and Jasper," I said, turning my head to look at her. She stared up at the ceiling with a huge grin.

"Me too," she murmured, and we lay there in silence for a few minutes before she reluctantly got up.

"I asked my parents to meet me for breakfast so that I could tell them the news, otherwise I would stay here all day. I have to call Rose and tell her, too. Don't have too much fun without me at yoga!" I walked her to the door, giving her one last hug before the door shut behind her.

Engaged, wow. Though I can't say I was surprised- Alice and Jasper had been attached at the hip since they met, our second week of freshman year at NYU. They couldn't be less alike- Alice was a high maintenance city girl, while Jasper was quiet and spoke with a slow, steady Southern drawl.

I turned the coffee maker on and padded to the bathroom to take a quick shower before I had to meet up with Rose at the yoga studio down the street from my apartment. Saturday morning yoga had become a tradition for the two of us and Alice since we discovered the studio when I moved into the apartment after graduation.

Twenty minutes later, I was en route to the studio with a fresh cup of coffee in my hand and my mat tucked under my arm, thankful that the studio was close enough that I could walk rather than have to shovel my driveway to get my car out. Rose met me in the lobby before we ascended the stairs, a happy grin on her face.

"I take it Alice called you?" I asked, as she linked her arm with mine, careful not to spill my coffee.

"I heard you got the earliest wake up call," she said with a laugh, and I rolled my eyes. I thanked god every day for the fact that Rose was significantly lower key than Alice- the three of us had been inseparable once we met- Alice and I were roommates freshman year, and Rose had been just down the hall.

"No chatty today, ladies?" our instructor, Irina, asked as we laid out our mats, one of the last to arrive. Much to her chagrin, Alice liked to talk through the routines, interrupting everyone else's relaxation.

We laughed as we stretched, whispering to ourselves about the wedding and taking our bets on how much of a bridezilla Alice would be, despite the fact that she regularly dealt with weddings in a career as an event planner.

"I _have_ heard Jasper's brother is like, majorly hot though, Bella," she murmured to me as we stretched out into our poses. I snorted, relaxing my muscles.

"Don't give Alice any ideas, I don't need to be set up with anyone. I'm perfectly happy being fifth wheel to you guys, Jasper, and Emmett."

Rosalie looked over at me, shaking her head. "I'm just saying, don't write it off… Maybe what you need is a little best man/maid of honor romance with a southern gentleman who probably has better than average skills in the sack, listening to what Alice says about Jasper."

A startled laugh erupted from my mouth, arms shaking, and I took several deep breaths to compose myself.

Still, the thought wasn't a bad one…

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**Like I said, feedback appreciated! **

**Until next time,**

**Seven**


	2. Drunken Dinner Parties

**I'm really happy with the reception the first chapter got! Thanks everyone, glad people seem to want to read more. I'm not one for long author's notes, so here's chapter two with the warning that this is still unbeta'd, and lets just say I rarely have enough patience to thoroughly edit... Feedback appreciated!**

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**Chapter Two:**

It took a mere two weeks for Alice and Jasper to set a date, not to my surprise. Alice was never one to think hard about anything.

December 18th of the following year was the destined date, and after two months of engagement, Alice was already fretting all the small details- she had to book the _perfect_ band because apparently DJ's were lame, she couldn't decide between ivory and ecru for the invitations, and how the hell was she supposed to find a suitable venue in South Carolina while living in New York City?

They had decided to get married in Charleston, where Jasper had been raised and his parents still resided. She had already asked Rose, Emmett, and I repeatedly to make sure we took two weeks time off of work, as she apparently meant for it to be a vacation and wedding rolled into one. Thankfully my job with a publishing agency wasn't too hands on, so I knew I could just take a few manuscripts with me and work in my spare time.

Rosalie and I had already been dragged into the wedding planning, after Alice asked Rose to be a bridesmaid. Jasper's job at a law firm meant long hours, so he likely wasn't going to be able to attend all the little things, like the cake testings. Rose and I, however, were more than happy to go test all sorts of cake.

Annoyingly enough, as the wedding fever became more frenzied, so did Rose and Alice's desire to set me up with "the perfect guy". I'd often walk into a room and the two of them would cease their hushed whispers, giving each other meaningful glances. I didn't quite see what all the rush was about- I was only 23, and knew it was perfectly normal to not be happily in love at this point in my life. The two of them were abnormalities- Alice and Jasper met in a class literally the second week of school, and Jasper, seemingly overwhelmed by the imbalance of testosterone and estrogen, dragged Emmett into the fray. The rest was history, plenty of double dates and my life as a resigned fifth wheel.

Still, the two of them were driving me crazy.

The five of us had made it a habit to try and get together once a week for dinner, when jobs and family permitted. We'd been pretty tight knit since we met, and I sincerely hoped that wouldn't change any time. This week, we were scheduled to meet up at the apartment that Alice and Jasper shared. We tried to keep it on a fair rotation, so that no one would end up hosting multiple times in a row; though, I was always slightly nervous when Alice played the role of hostess. Girl couldn't cook worth a damn, but she was insistent upon making us sample her creations.

I rapped briefly on the door before twisting the knob and walking in, calling out into the apartment. "I come bearing brownies!" Seconds later, I heard the pounding of feet as Emmett slid to a stop in front of me, eagerly reaching for the tray. I whacked his grasping hands away, sliding my boots off and unwinding my scarf with one hand.

"God, something smells delicious. Did Alice cheat and order takeout?" I asked, as I headed towards the kitchen to set the dessert somewhere out of Emmett's sight. I stepped into the kitchen, freezing at the sight of a manly torso and messy bronze-ish hair that most definitely did not belong to Alice.

"Um, hello?" I coughed out, and the offending person turned around from his position in front of the stove, brandishing a wooden spoon. "You're not Alice," I said dumbly, and he chuckled, the deep sound going straight to unnamed parts of my body.

"No, I'm sure not. You must be Bella- I'm Edward Cullen, Jasper's brother." After a moment, I realized my mouth was still hanging slightly open at his introduction, and I blushed, moving to shake the hand that he offered. He turned back to the stove to stir something in one of the skillets, and I patted my hair down, flustered.

Ho-ly Fuck.

Jasper's brother was the hottest piece of ass I'd ever seen in my life- messy sex hair, dreamy green eyes, tantalizing hints of defined muscle peeking out from underneath his t-shirt sleeves… And the accent was sex on a stick, his low, sweet drawl stopping just short of giving me goosebumps.

Before I could stop it, my stomach let out a whine, and I crept closer to the stove to glance at what smelled so good. He turned around to face me as I edged over to the side of the counter, observing.

"It's just linguini, garlic, basil, walnuts…" he laughed, scratching at the back of his neck. "Not exactly gourmet cuisine." I smiled reassuringly at him, flushing red once more.

"No, no, sounds perfect… Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh, if you wanted to cut up some of the Italian bread in that grocery bag over there? That'd be great." I relocated myself to a separate space of counter, glad to have something to do rather than gawk.

"So, uh, how'd you learn to cook? It smells great, and I know Jasper isn't much of a cook…" I threw that out, trying to focus intently on the bread, rather than watch the beautiful man behind him.

"Yeah, no, neither were our parents. I guess you have to learn to fend for yourself when you're living alone, and I got tired of takeout, so I took it upon myself to become an amateur chef. What about you? Those brownies look delicious, and with the way Emmett was eyeing them…" he gestured at the platter I had set down on the counter with his wooden spoon.

I laughed nervously, not used to being reduced to such an idiot the second an attractive male came around. _Jesus fuck, Bella, get a grip._

"I do alright, I guess. I mean, someone had to learn how to use this kitchen… Alice and Jasper were wasting state of the art equipment!" I rolled my eyes at myself, sounding so excited over the fact that they had a shiny new kitchen. It _was_ pretty nice as far as kitchens went, but god, Edward probably thought I was such a loser.

"Very true," he replied, before stirring the pasta and turning around to face me, resting both of his arms behind him on the counter. "So I hear you're the maid of honor, you looking forward to walking into the reception on my arm?" he flashed me a devilish smirk, to which I'm sure I probably looked like a fish out of water.

"Of course… We might have to steal the spotlight." I said with a laugh, cursing myself once more for sounding like such an idiot.

"I'm sure that won't prove to be much of a problem, sugar," he said with a wink, and the pink once more crept up my neck to my face. He grinned, seemingly pleased with my reaction. "Pardon me if this is too forward, ma'am, but you sure are cute when you blush like that." I mumbled something that was a cross between 'thanks' and 'no', and smiled down at the bread I was cutting, before setting the knife aside.

Crossing the kitchen, I reached for one of the cabinets, standing on my tiptoes and straining to grab the bowl we usually used for bread. Scowling, I turned around to go grab a chair, and found myself face to face with Edward.

"I got it," he drawled slowly, reaching for the bowl and pressing it into my hands with a smirk. He lingered close to me for a moment longer, before returning to his position by the stove. I blinked in surprise for a moment, before frowning.

_Get it together, Bella._ Edward was obviously used to girls swooning over him- and I wasn't going to give him anymore satisfaction than I already had. I piled the bread into the bowl, before narrowing my eyes at his back and walking over to where he stood without letting my subconscious second guess me.

Plucking the wooden spoon out of his hands, I examined the creamy sauce before putting the spoon up to my mouth and tasting it. In a move that was probably far too adult-movie esque to be taken seriously, I sucked on the spoon, relishing in the fact that Edward's eyes were locked on mine.

"Not bad, Cullen." I wasn't quite sure if I was imagining the fact that his eyes darkened a fraction, but I licked my lips for good measure before handing him back the spoon and leaving the kitchen, bread bowl under my arm.

"Bella, there you are!" Alice cried, perched on one of the chairs in the dining room. "Edward banished us from the kitchen… I forgot you had to stir pasta, and he had to throw the first batch out. I see you had no such banishment…" she looked at me suggestively, and I scowled at her as Rose joined in.

"We'll talk about this later," I hissed, a second before Edward entered the room, setting a bowl of creamy pasta in the center of the table and disappearing again, only to return with two bottles of red wine.

"Wine, Bella?" he asked, and I didn't miss the snickers from Rose and Alice when he offered a drink to me first. I nodded, taking a seat next to Alice. Unfortunately, the only open seat left for Edward once he had made his rounds with the wine was directly across from me, and the moment he sat down I felt a leg brush against mine.

Thankfully, Emmett broke the tension by draining his glass, and lunging across the table to serve himself a heaping portion of pasta, ignoring a disgruntled Rosalie.

"Em, manners," she said, smacking his arm, but he just grinned at her through a mouth full of pasta.

The table broke into a comfortable hum of chatter, with Edward fitting in perfectly. The small talk wasn't too bad- apparently Edward did something with finances, and that combined with the fact that Jasper was here had led him to move to New York City a few weeks back. I guessed that he would probably become a regular fixture at dinner for the next few weeks, something I definitely didn't mind…

Thankfully, he knew how to argue with the best of them. We all had a tendency to yell over each other, usually with the exception of Jasper, but Edward had him yelling too with embarrassing childhood stories.

"Edward Anthony, that was one time! Goddamnit, I was ten, how can you blame me?" The brothers' accents grew stronger the more they drank, particularly when Emmett had the brilliant idea that hard liquor would go better with brownies than red wine.

Trust me, not at all true.

But at least it gave us an excuse to start an under the table drinking game; Rose, Emmett and I taking a shot every time the word "y'all" was said by either one. I would say it was almost sickening how many times they uttered it, but hell, the more I drank, the more Edward's voice sounded like freshly churned butter.

Needless to say, we were all pretty toasted by the end of the night.

And I was getting my own happy buzz every time Edward's green eyes glanced over at me. Even more so when my own eyes became fixated on him as he ate one of my brownies, licking his fingers with a ghost of a smirk on the turned up corners of his mouth.

"Delicious, Isabella," he pronounced, and I had to keep myself from sighing at the charming twang of his voice when he said my full name. Alice reached over and smacked me none too gently in the head with her fork, whining.

"How come you yell at us when we call you Isabella, but he gets off free?" I shrugged at her, and pretended not to see it when she exchanged a devious look with Rosalie.

"I can't wait to get all you lightweights drunk for two weeks at our wedding," Alice slurred, and we all chuckled at her use of the word lightweights, knowing she was the worst of us. "It's going to be a nonstop party!" she squealed, leaning over to plant a sloppy kiss on Jasper's cheek. Rose and Emmett shared a simultaneous mock gagging noise, and I scowled at them.

"Hey, you two are gonna be married one day too!" I crowed, pointing accusingly. They weren't really in a rush to get engaged, seeing as we were all still young, but I knew it'd come someday. "And I won't be…" I pouted, and wiped my face off moments later when Alice slobbered on my cheek to match Jasper's.

"Don't worry, Belly, we'll find you a guy… or at least get you laid at my wedding." she said, and Rose nodded emphatically. My eyes darted to Edward's and found a hint of a frown on his face, before he reached across the table to pour himself another shot.

I shrugged it off, reaching for a brownie as I grinned suggestively at him.

Something told me the next couple months, let alone the two weeks in South Carolina, were going to be long ones…

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**Hey, you guys, tell me if things are too hokey or weird or moving too fast, alright? Thanks for reading!**

**Seven**


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